“I didn’t even realise I was getting fat – it happened over 10 years,” says Dave. “I was chubby as a child, but not fat. Then I went to university, ate pizzas and drank a lot – I got big. I’d cut down on food,” he says. “But I failed to lose weight because I didn’t know the difference between fats, proteins, carbs and sugars.”

He only started to burn serious amounts of fat when he got his head around the food science and started a daily training regime. “I now avoid saturated fat and try to eat 30-50g protein every three hours when I’m training hard, and five small meals a day when I’m not.”

For Dave’s full story plus all the latest nutritional science and a super-fast fat-burning workout plan, get your copy of the new Men’s Health book, The Fat Burner’s Bible, by clicking here

Mike’s life was in a rut. He had been steadily gaining weight over his entire life until, by the age of 50, he was so big he struggled to walk to the shops. Then he got the wake-up call he needed – a serious car accident. “I was lucky to survive,” says Mike. “I had a second chance at life and decided to lose weight.

“I swapped my favourite dinner – the McDonald’s Big Tasty – for chicken stir-fries with veg and brown rice, and I only snacked on fruit.” Natural sugars in fruit help to satisfy cravings without filling you out. “I started jogging to the shops, not driving,” says Mike. “Soon I was running.”

Mike’s transformation from a 27st fast-food lover to a 12st athlete is an inspiration to anyone who thinks getting fit is beyond them. Mike more than halved his bodyweight and now competes in marathons. If he can do it, you can, too.

For Mike’s full story, plus innovative cardio workouts and dozens of ways to make snacking healthy, get your copy of the new Men’s Health book, The Fat Burner’s Bible, by clicking here

The end of his student days was a turning point for Simon. “I woke up after my graduation hungover, overweight and wanting to change,” he says. “I set myself two targets – to cut my calories to 1,500 a day and to start jogging 10k, three times a week. My first major goal was to run in the Glasgow half-marathon.” His aspiration to compete in a major event helped him stay motivated.

With the race over, Simon shifted the focus of his workouts. One of the best ways to keep fat burning on track is to ensure that you’re always setting yourself new challenges. “I started boxing training,” he says. “I would do 5min skipping, 5min bag work and 3 sets of 20 press-ups, interspersed with 1 minute shadow-boxing with 7kg dumb-bells,” says Simon. After just 20 weeks Simon lost more than 3 stone (19kg).

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Manny went to college in America, but sadly the land of the burger went straight to his gut. “Although my girlfriend tried to keep me healthy, I’d gorge on fast food. She put me on a diet but I went behind her back – with junk food – and we split up. I decided a change of surroundings would help me best and moved back to England.”

Manny got a place at Leeds University to continue his studies and there joined a gym and got chatting to a personal trainer. “He gave me the DVD Pumping Iron. Seeing Arnie talking about motivation and his ‘one more rep’ mentality inspired me,” says Manny. “After losing my first 1.5 stone (10kg), I had a lot more energy for studying. Compound exercises brought my weight down another 4st (25kg).” Studies show resistance work fires up your metabolism for up to 18 hours after your workout.

For more from Mani, plus a resistance workout that will torch fat fast for you, get your copy of the new Men’s Health book The Fat Burner’s Bible by clicking here

Anthony’s lifestyle left him feeling low. Working as a touring musician he would hit the booze after gigs: “I’d finish my show late at night and follow it with five pints and a kebab. I’d have a fry-up breakfast and eat burgers and chips for lunch”.

Not only did Anthony’s lifestyle affect his weight, it also began to affect his work and his asthma: “I was fat, which made my asthma worse and affected my saxophone playing. It was threatening my livelihood as well as my health”.

Anthony was determined to get into shape and transform his life. His love of competition helped him get into an exercise routine that fitted around his work. “Weekly five-a-side sessions when not touring re-ignited my love of cardio."

I now go to the gym at 7am when the machines are free and then do swimming intervals. I am fitter and stronger than I’ve ever been in my life! I am totally focused on achieving my goals, no matter how difficult they seem.”

To find out exactly how Anthony made his dramatic transformation get your copy of the new Men’s Health book The Fat Burner’s Bible by clicking here

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